Get Ready for Fun Week!!!!

I hope you are all ready for fun week because I certainly don't feel like I am! This post will have a run down of everything that is going on this week, please make sure to register for events that you need to register for.

I have highlighted events as follows:

Bold - Require Registration
Italics - Running all week

Red - Facebook
Blue - Instagram
Pink - Website

Below is a day by day run down of everything that is going on. I've added links where appropriate and a little bit of detail about each one.

Monday

Instagram Giveaway - https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Facebook Competition - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

18:45 (19:00 start) BST - Zoom Pub Quiz (email catriona@chestnutridge.co.uk for registration details)

Surprise Models Go Live - https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/store/p563/Mystery_Traditional.html

Treasure Hunt Begins - www.chestnutridge.co.uk

More info at: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Fun Week Bingo Begins (both Facebook & Instagram) - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/ OR https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Tuesday

Instagram Giveaway - https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Facebook Competition - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

19:00-21:00 BST Market Night - https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/store/c15/Marketnight.html#/

Surprise Models (if remaining) - https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/store/p563/Mystery_Traditional.html

Treasure Hunt - www.chestnutridge.co.uk

More info at: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Fun Week Bingo (both Facebook & Instagram) - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/ OR https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Wednesday

Instagram Giveaway - https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Facebook Competition - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

17:00 BST - Introduction to the Hobby Seminar (Facebook Live): https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Surprise Models (if remaining) - https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/store/p563/Mystery_Traditional.html

Treasure Hunt - www.chestnutridge.co.uk

More info at: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Fun Week Bingo (both Facebook & Instagram) - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/ OR https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Thursday

Instagram Giveaway - https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Facebook Competition - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

19:00 BST - Zoom Social (email catriona@chestnutridge.co.uk for registration details, over 18s only)

Surprise Models (if remaining) - https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/store/p563/Mystery_Traditional.html

Treasure Hunt - www.chestnutridge.co.uk

More info at: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Fun Week Bingo (both Facebook & Instagram) - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/ OR https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Friday

Instagram Giveaway - https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Facebook Competition - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

19:00-22:00 BST - Auction Night: https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/store/c16/Auction_Night.html#/

Surprise Models (if remaining) - https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/store/p563/Mystery_Traditional.html

Treasure Hunt - www.chestnutridge.co.uk

More info at: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Fun Week Bingo (both Facebook & Instagram) - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/ OR https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Saturday

Instagram Giveaway - https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Facebook Competition - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Surprise Models (if remaining) - https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/store/p563/Mystery_Traditional.html

Treasure Hunt - www.chestnutridge.co.uk

More info at: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Fun Week Bingo (both Facebook & Instagram) - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/ OR https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Sunday

Instagram Giveaway - https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Facebook Competition - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Surprise Models (if remaining) end - https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/store/p563/Mystery_Traditional.html

Treasure Hunt ends - www.chestnutridge.co.uk

More info at: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Fun Week Bingo ends (both Facebook & Instagram) - https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/ OR https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/ 

Grand Photoshow Closes - https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/grand-photoshow.html

Seminar #9 - Prepping

It seems a little backwards that we are doing a prepping seminar after we have done painting ones! But on Friday we will be making up for that with an awesome seminar that will help you to prep your model horses.

Time: 13:00 BST (UK Time)
Date: 19th June 2020
Link: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

In the seminar we will cover how to remove seams and seals, how to fill holes, how to add some extra detail and things to think about when prepping older or poorly moulded OFs. We will also talk about priming and about stripping off custom paintwork!



There are lots of things to cover in this seminar, some we will just talk about and some we will demonstrate. There will be a bit of Blue Peter "here is one I did earlier" because some of the things are a bit time consuming but it will be great to get involved in the conversation. Afterall prepping is the most important part of painting!

Next Seminar Anouncement

Thank you to everyone for our votes, I can confirm that the top voted seminar is another Judging Workshop!

In July we will be having a go at judging some workmanship classes.

You can now vote for the next seminar here (I have added an OF judging class option as suggested):

https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/seminar-schedule.html#/

BreyerFest Fun Week 2020

It feels slightly strange writing this as it shouldn't be happening this year. But instead here I am writing it and trying to make it bigger and better than ever! I think we all need cheering up and Chestnut Ridge is here to MAKE YOU HAPPY. So be happy. No choice. Forced fun.

Please note - this is nothing to do with the official BreyerFest and is not endorsed by them in anyway. It's just a bit of fun run by the UK model horse community each year.

OK so normally we just do a few competitions and giveaways and things, but this year I've decided to make it bigger and better! So as well as competitions and giveaways we have some weird and wonderful other things for you to get involved in.

All live events will be run the Monday-Thursday so that they do not clash with any official BreyerFest events.

Daily Giveaways

We will be running daily giveaways on our Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/chestnutridgemodelhorses/

Each day all you will have to do is comment for your chance to win the item. There will be a total of seven items to give away!

Daily Trivia/Competitions

On our Facebook page we will be running daily trivia/competitions. This is basically what we normally do. We normally ask people to do things like guess the amounts produced of certain models or the surprise model so I haven't concluded what we'll do this year but I'll think of something!

https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

There will be prizes available.

Model Horse 'Pub Quiz'

Please note changes.

The Pub Quiz will be held on Zoom and there will be no prizes offered. I have toyed with how I can make this work, I want to make it fun and interactive but also fair.

This is why I have changed it to a Zoom call. This will allow everyone to take part and actually interact with each other! It will make it more fun :)

To help prevent cheating or upset there will be NO PRIZES! So cheating will just make people angry at you and you will gain nothing from it. Also bare in mind you are on camera!

Grand Photoshow

The Grand Photoshow is up and running and ends on July 12th. There are some awesome prizes and rosettes and it is completely free to enter.

More details can be found here: https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/grand-photoshow.html#/

'Surprise' Models

Throughout the week of BreyerFest we will have 10 'surprise' Traditional scale models available on the website.

They will be priced at £35.00 each and will be wrapped up so even I won't know what you are getting!

We are going to put one extra special model in there but I haven't finalised what this will be yet so keep watching to find out :D

https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/shop.html

Auction Night

During our Auction Night you will have the chance to purchase 25 items as part of 99p start auctions. These will include a mixture of OFs, CMs, ARs, CTFs and Tack as well as some bundles or more unusual items.

20% of the money raised will be donated to The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/

NB: A few items will be 100% charity listings will all the money raised being donated to the Bail Project. If you would like to donate an item as part of this please let me know.

Market Night

Our Market Night will be run on another evening. This is your chance to get your paws on a selection of really cool items! They will be first come first serve.

There will be fifty items available as part of our Market Night sale.

Again this will be a mixture of items.

Zoom Social

Our Zoom Social will be open to all model horse hobbyists over 18 years of age. Come together, have a chat, share some painting tips or just talk about whatever it is you guys talk about at live shows.

Over 18s only for a reason. People never behave.

Introduction to the Hobby Seminar

This is an extra special seminar for BreyerFest Fun Week. This seminar will go through all the different elements of the model horse hobby, explain to you some key terms and tell you how you can get involved. It's designed for newcommers but will be suitable for all.

It will be held via Facebook live like our other seminars: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Treasure Hunt

Throughout the week you can take part in our treasure hunt. Collect clues, put them together and come to the right conclusion for your chance to win an extra special prize!

Fun Week Bingo

We will be running our usual 'bingo'. Photograph an item to match each of the squares, upload to Facebook or Instagram and you could win a pretty awesome prize!

The Schedule

Monday 6th

Daily Giveway (Instagram)

Daily Competition (Facebook)

Surprise Models Listed

Treasure Hunt Begins

Fun Week Bingo Starts

Model Horse Pub Quiz

Tuesday 7th

Daily Giveway (Instagram)

Daily Competition (Facebook)

Market Night

Wednesday 8th

Daily Giveway (Instagram)

Daily Competition (Facebook)

Introduction to the Hobby Seminar

Thursday 9th

Daily Giveway (Instagram)

Daily Competition (Facebook)

Zoom Social

Friday 10th

Daily Giveway (Instagram)

Daily Competition (Facebook)

Auction Night

Saturday 11th

Daily Giveway (Instagram)

Daily Competition (Facebook)

Sunday 12th

Daily Giveway (Instagram)

Daily Competition (Facebook)

Grand Photoshow Closes

Seminar #8 - Make Along Arabian Halter!

What are you doing this Friday? I tell you what you are doing, you are making an Arabian halter!

Our next seminar is a fun make along, you can just watch or you can take part as we make a beautiful Arabian halter.

We will talk you through some of the basics of halter making and also show you how to make tassels which I know is something a lot of people struggle with. It will be a nice simple design but we'll also talk about how you can jazz it up a bit!

If you want to take part and make along with us you'll need the following:

Supplies

Ribbon
2x 6mm Jump Rings
1x 5mm Jump Ring
Hook
Chain
Embroidery Thread
Seed Beads

Tools

Glue
Scissors
Needlenose Pliers
Piece of Thin Card/Plastic
Beading Needle

Al Fahl is rather excited about this seminar!












Also I'm pleased to announce that following voting in July we will be running a valuing and identifying models seminar!

As the desire for more judging seminars was so obvious I have also added this as a voting option on the form. We will definitely run more but democracy wins and more people wanted valuing!

Chestnut Ridge Grand Photoshow 2020

As part of our BreyerFest fun this year we are running our Grand Photoshow again! This huge photoshow is completely free to enter and comes with some awesome prizes :)

The show is open to anyone, regardless of location and you can enter in lots of different ways. The easiest way to enter is to upload your photos into the relevant albums on the Facebook group but you can also enter via Instagram, Email or Post. This means that literally anyone can enter, you don't even need a computer!

For full details of how to enter please see the website here:

https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/grand-photoshow.html

There are no individual class entry limits on this show but there is a maximum of 50 entries. The nice thing is that this suits all types of showers, if you have a really specialist collection you can still do the same number of entries as someone who has a more diverse collection. But with well over 100 classes you'll have to think carefully about who to enter!

What Kind of Photos Can I Enter?

Someone asked me this on Instagram and the real answer is any. But your photos need to be clear and show off your model. You can use a light tent or similar or you can set up a realistic background shot like the one below. But is the one below clear? Do you think the model really pops? These are some good things to think about when you are taking your pictures.

If you use props etc. make sure they are in scale with your model and don't distract. Scale is particularly important when it comes to performance entries.

What Will I Win?

There will be printable certificates for placings and champions.

Section & supreme champions will also get rosettes made by the amazing Inspirations Rosettes

Anyone who gets a rosette will also get a Mini Whinnie Surprise Bag.

I have also been completely taken aback by people randomly offering to donate prizes! So there are also going to be some really awesome prizes available :)

How Long Have I Got?

You will have until the 12th of July to enter! So please get on and enter as soon as possible. I don't want people forgetting!

Who Will be Judging?

I will be judging the whole show. Because I am a masochist.

I look forward to seeing everyone's entries, and remember the most important part is to HAVE FUN!

Breyer Mid-Year Release - Pre Orders

Hello everyone :) I have quite a few things to share atm so I'm going to schedule posts so one pops up per day! That means you may have already seen some of these things on social media but I would rather not spam you guys!

First up the big announcement is that the Breyer mid-year releases are now available to pre-order :D I know you are all literally dying over those Stablemates and I'm so excited to be able to offer them to you guys :D

If you would like to pre-order you can email catriona@chestnutridge.co.uk for an order form or download one here.

Below is a run down of the horses available and the prices:

70th Anniversary Surprise Stablemates - 6051

Single Bag: £3.50

Whole Box: £79.99

Adiah HP - 1830

Price: £37.99

Apparition - 1838

Price: £54.99

Checkers - 1931

Price: £38.99

Peptoboonsmal - 1829

Price: £38.99

The deadline for pre-orders is June 30th and prices do not include shipping. 

BreyerFest Special Runs - Prices & Numbers

If you have tickets to BreyerFest 2020 check your emails! They have emailed out the link for the form for you to fill in to say which special run models you want.

I have chosen the 'master list' option because I have four tickets (although the point has been made by Brendon that he wants the cow!) and my biggest fear is actually getting doubles rather than models I don't want. There are only three I really really want so I'm not too bothered by the others.

So here is my master list (I'd love to know yours) along with the numbers produced and prices which have also been released.

1. Slainte Surprise - $85.00 - 4,500



2. Brighid & Beltane - $65.00 - 1,600



3. Lugh - $55.00 - 1,500



4. Oak - $70.00 - 1,800



5. Boudicca - $65.00 - 1,200



6. Hamish - $55.00 - 800



7. Ash - $65.00 - 1,700



8. Thorn - $60.00 - 1,500



Thorn is going to be a matte/glossy split. If I get a matte I will be up for trading for a glossy!

9. Epona - $60.00 - 1,600



Share your lists in the comments below! I would love to know which ones you are after :D

Best of BF Stablemate Set

I am so in love with this set! That G2 Thoroughbred is actually to die for!



Also check out the 'series 1' this is obviously going to become an annual thing which is pretty cool :D

Kochab:



Gale:



Seriously how flipping gorgeous is this model???

Durham:



Victoire:



Viaje:



I am going to be so poor after BF! This is definitely one of the ones I'm most excited for :D

Next Seminar - Judge Along!

I have five days to figure out how on Earth this will work and where on earth I am going to film it! I suspect we will be doing it in the lounge? But then how will we change classes? I have no idea. But I'll figure it out!

Our next seminar is going to be a judge along! This is your chance to be a live show judge and have a go at judging some models. I'll start by talking you through what we look for as judges and then you will have a go at judging your very own classes, entrants will be able to say which models they think should place 1st, 2nd & 3rd and why. See if you all agree and get ready for some probably heated debate!

This will be a really interactive seminar so the more people who join in the better :D Also a great chance to slag off some of my model horses!

Date: 5th June 2020

Time: 11.00AM BST (UK Time)

Link: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

I hope to see you all there :)

Next Seminar Announcement!

Thank you to everyone who has voted, I can announce that the next seminar on the list will be.....Picking Models for Showing! 

You can now vote for the following seminar at: https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/seminar-schedule.html#/

Éire

Eire is the souvenir store stablemate for BreyerFest this year.

Whilst I like the pattern I am not a massive fan of green, like I think you can have too much green and I suspect after BF I will have too much green!

He's a decorator on the Corbin mould:

Seminar #6 - Adding Some Sparkle

Do you like sparkly things?

Do you think the biggest problem with the world is there are TOO FEW sparkly things?

Do you want to know how to make everything you own sparkly?

Then I have the perfect seminar for you! Whether you are an experienced sparkler or a newbie to the sparkling world we will be going through step by step how to jazz up everything from model horses to headcollars to even dolls clothes! 

No longer will your shelves be filled with boring bland model horses, no more the disappointment as you stare at your worn out brown tack, no longer the sinking feeling you get when you realise your doll doesn't have diamante encrusted jodhpurs

Join us next Friday as we SPARKLE THE WORLD! Bring some glue and some sparkles and sparkle along with us, don't forget to share your sparkling creations!

Seminar Date: 22nd May 2020

Seminar Time: 17:00 BST (UK Time)

Seminar Location: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

Seminar Reveal!

The votes are in and I can confirm that the winning seminar is......Secrets of a Show Host! 

The voting has been updated and you can now vote for the next seminar after that, you have until next Saturday to vote so don't delay :D

Vote here:

https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/seminar-schedule.html

New Peter Stone Mould!

Now I know I've been really naughty and stolen a picture off Facebook but I am just so excited about this I had to share!

Stone Horses have a brand new mould and it is sculpted by my all time favourite sculptor Maggie Bennett!!!

This is Remington:



He will be released in Traditional scale but they are offering some Pebbles resins this weekend if you head on over to their Facebook group (usually the best place for Stone news): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=249497304471

I don't care how many kidneys I have to sell I need one of these. They are beautiful! I think I want a bay...or a palomino...

Achilles and Patroclus

A couple of weeks ago I completed this Maggie Bennett Blitzen resin:



He was named Achilles because apparently every horse must have a Greek name at the moment



But then I felt kinda sad because I didn't like the idea of Achilles being all alone without Patroclus.

So it wasn't long before the next micro I was working on was nicknamed Patroclus. And not too long after that that the name stuck.

He is a Jessie pewter micro by Maggie Bennet (and yes I know not a stallion but we will ignore this).

Say hello to Patroclus:



They actually look really cute together! They now live together on the shelf, next to Persephone (I told you the Greek thing was getting out of hand)



So they can spend eternity together :)

Vintage & Premier Club Grab Bags

If you are in the Breyer Vintage or Premier clubs then you can get hold of grab bags at the moment!

They are a random drawing, so you have to enter for them, and they are only available for club members. Go to www.breyerhorses.com and login to your account to enter.

They contain a random model from the previous years of the club. I've had a few of these over the years and have been able to add some lovely models to my herd and also get some ummm victims.

I've entered for the vintage one, I haven't been a member the last few years so hoping I'll get one from then and not one of the ones I already have!!! 

If you do get one let me know who you get! And if you get a duplicate of one you already have shout, I may be able to rehome it for you :)

I would be over the moon if I got picked and got a Rockford in mine! HE SO SHINY!

Mackenzie

Sorry I completely forgot to share this one yesterday! I was distracted by spotty ponies.

I say this every year (I know) but the BreyerFest plush is just AWESOME! I can't wait to add him to my army of little Breyer plushies who are going to TAKE OVER THE WORLD



I mean look at his ickle hat and scarf! IT'S ADORABLE!



He is literally the cutest thing.

Bilberry

Bilberry is the latest Collector's Club release from Breyer. He is a beautiful leopard spotted pony on the Bouncer mould.




If you are a collector's club member you can enter for him now at www.breyerhorses.com

Seminar Updates

I know I did a blog post with a list back in April but to be fair that isn't that helpful! So today I did the first stage of a bit of a website overhaul that will see all the seminars linked and listed on the site for people to watch forever more.

As part of this I have added a full schedule of the upcoming seminars. I have also added an option for you to vote for the next one in the series! There is even an 'other' box if there is something in particular you would like to see:

https://www.chestnutridge.co.uk/seminar-schedule.html#/

I am slowly working on downloading and then uploading the last two onto YouTube, but as I'm sure you can imagine this is quite a painful task when you have internet as slow as mine! My hope is that each week we can add them online so you can watch them in your own time and of course pause them, particularly good for the make alongs.

Finally, I know that last week's didn't really go as planned, a combination of overtired, being in a bad headspace and the idea not really working meant that it wasn't great. I'm hoping this will change on Friday! Friday's seminar is in the evening so if you like we can also have a bit of a social. Should I get drunk whilst grooming model horses? I don't see how that could ever go wrong. Take a shot everytime I knock something!

BreyerFest Swag Sale

From tomorrow onwards Breyer are going to be pre-selling the BreyerFest swag through their website.

This is open to everyone, so you don't need a BF ticket to buy the items. I'm definitely going to be grabbing myself a t-shirt or something, although I may leave it until actual BreyerFest to do so!

You can find out more here: https://www.breyerhorses.com/blogs/breyerfest-blog/fling-shop-swag

Here are some of the t-shirt designs:

Seminar #5 - Preparing Your Model Horses for Showing

So I think we learned yesterday that airbrushing seminars don't really work! But it was worth a try.

Our next seminar will be on preparing your horses for showing, in particular it will look at how to prepare haired models and CTF models for showing, as a judge I see a lot of really badly prepared models and quite frankly you are not going to do well at shows if your horse turns up looking like its just rolled out of bed!

Seminar Date: 15th May 2020

Time: 19:00 BST (UK Time)

Location: https://www.facebook.com/chestnutridgemodels/

This will be a nice evening seminar, so feel free to bring a drink, get on the chat section and enjoy :)

PLUSHIE PEAK!!!!

LOOK AT THE FURRY LEGS! IT IS THE PLUSHIE! THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL THE BF MODELS!



I NEED TO CUDDLE IT NOW

O and also Breyer like released the custom contest prizes or something, I dunno, boring horses:

Cornwall



Breton



The single day tickets are also now on sale, although the four pack has sold out:

https://www.breyerhorses.com/collections/breyerfest-2020-tickets/products/2020-single-day

But all this is boring because PLUSHIE!!!!

BreyerFest Special Run Master List

If you haven't been keeping up with the BreyerFest conversation over the last couple of days then you will have missed several important announcements about the way that BreyerFest special runs are going to happen.

The latest one can be found here:

https://www.breyerhorses.com/blogs/breyerfest-blog/multiple-special-run-tickets

If, like me, you have multiple tickets the best way to do it (unless you want duplicates) is to send a master list. After Monday's update (which didn't mention this option) I was really worried about getting duplicates and working hard on trying to create a statistical formula that would give me the best chance of getting the ones I wanted without duplicates.

But the new master list option removes that risk, yes you could still get unlucky and get duplicates, but there is far less risk of that happening as they'll work down your master list for each slot and remove ones you've already received. Obviously if the only ones left when you're drawn are ones you've already got then you are going to get ones you've already got, but there is far less risk.

So here is my master list :)

1. Surprise Model

2. Brighid & Beltane

3. Lugh

4. Oak

5. Boudicca

6. Hamish

7. Ash

8. Thorn

9. Epona

Who is at the top of your list? And who is at the bottom? I would love to know yours as well!